Africa’s brightest minds will be rewarded at the second annual Technology Information Confederation Africa (TICON Africa) Conference 2024, to be held in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa between 25 and 27 September.

Dr Jannie Zaaiman, Secretary General of TICON Africa, explains that rewards will be bestowed on Africa’s leading ICT minds at a time when the industry is undergoing rapid change with the advent of new technology such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.

“The ever-changing landscape of technology is a key aspect of what will be navigated at our conference, so it makes perfect sense to reward those who are already excelling in advancing ICT for our beautiful continent and its people,” he says.

Awards will be granted in the categories of, ICT Young Professional of the Year, ICT Professional of the Year, and Tech Business Leader of the Year. “Through these awards, we also hope to encourage more innovation in the sector,” says Dr Zaaiman.

Dr Zaaiman explains that it’s of particular importance to reward young people who show exceptional enthusiasm for the sector and have spent time learning. The ICT Young Professional will be awarded from those people nominated who are less than 30 years old and employed in the ICT sector. They will have actively pursued at least 30 hours of learning new knowledge a year over the last 2 years and are currently employed in an ICT role or managing an ICT team or project of note.

The ICT Professional of the Year award goes to someone who is conscious of the latest developments in their field, displaying the highest standards of professional ethics and has made a significant contribution to the profession. Dr Zaaiman says, “they use their technical knowledge to be a positive role model in their country and influence the workplace to the highest standards both professionally and ethically”.

He goes on to explain that the ICT Africa Tech Business Leader of the Year is someone who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the field of ICT across at least three African countries. “They use their technical knowledge to be a positive role model in not only their own countries but also the countries they operate in, demonstrating the highest standards both professionally and ethically,” Dr Zaaiman adds.

The awards are open to all ICT professionals currently working in TICON Africa member countries, which are Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Zambia, Rwanda, Uganda and Lesotho and meet the specific entry requirements for each award. All nominated candidates must have work or industry contributions completed during 2023/2024.

Nominations close on 30 August 2024, and the awards can be entered by following this link https://ticonafrica.org/ticon-africa-conference-2024/award-nomination-form/

Winners will be announced at the TICON Africa Conference.